Salty & Sweet

I’ve never really been much of a sweets person. In fact when I was little I didn’t like ANYTHING sweet (chocolate, cake, ice cream, cookies, candy…you name it), so for one of my birthdays my mom made me a “cake” by carving a watermelon into the shape of a basket and filling it with fruit (mom of the year right there).

I just remember, whenever we’d go out to restaurants and everyone would order dessert, my parents would let me order vanilla ice cream (Why? I don’t know…) and I’d sit there quietly while I turned it into soup until everyone else finished theirs.

However, ever since I went vegan I’ve had a newfound love for baking. I love surprising people with the fact that the incredible thing they just ate was vegan. My favorite desserts are always the ones that are salty and sweet like these amazing pecan pie bars we used to make for Thanksgiving. But they of course aren’t vegan and the recipe is just too complicated for me to get into trying to convert it (yet)…but I think I’ve found the PERFECT alternative.

These Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies that I found on withfoodandlove.com are the prefect combination of salty and sweet. And they’re so simple! With only a few staple ingredients (okay, staple ingredients for vegans), you can make some of the most decadent, melt-in-your mouth cookies you’ve ever had. They may not turn out too pretty (mine certainly did not), but who really cares when you’re just going to be shoveling them into your mouth?

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together in a bowl the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Then add in the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Stir the batter until it forms a dough.

Roll tablespoon sized portions into balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and press down lightly in the middle with your finger to leave a small indentation in the center of the cookie. Fill the indentation with 1/4 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for 13 – 15 minutes. The cookies will be quite soft when you remove the tray from the oven. Leave them on the tray undisturbed to cool. They will take form as they harden slightly. Finish with a little more jam and flake salt if desired.

Oh. And here’s a little video of me just stretchin’ it out in my tiny kitchen as I wait for these babies to bake…